Carnival in Rio Crowns 7-Year-Old Samba Queen

Little Julia Lira looked as terrified as a deer in the headlights as she danced at the head of thousands of partiers in the streets of Rio de Janeiro.

Her role as Samba Queen was controversial from day one. Child welfare advocates tried to stop her from dancing, saying the third-grader was just too young to bare her mid-riff and shake-it at the head of the sexually-charged parade.

As Carnival got underway, Julia was overwhelmed. One headline said it all, "7-Year-Old Rio Carnival Queen Bursts Into Tears." Her dad did his best to comfort her .

Watching from a balcony, Madonna took in the scene with her Brazilian boyfriend and her daughters Lourdes and Mercy.